The only positive thing about the Tulane football team’s 34-24 loss to Memphis was the date of the game.

The Thanksgiving night affair gave the Green Wave (9-3, 7-1 AAC) two extra days to recover than Army (10-1, 8-0), which was ahead of Friday’s American Athletic Conference championship game at Michie Stadium faces a quick turnaround in West Point, New York (7 p.m., ABC).

For what it’s worth, the wave should be fresher.

Army needed a late interception to hold off Texas-San Antonio 29-24 on Saturday and earn the right to stay home for the title game. This win came a week after the Black Knights suffered a 49-14 loss to Notre Dame while Tulane had an open date.

The result is that the Black Knights will play their third game in 14 days, while the Wave have only played twice in the last three weeks.

“I’m sure every coach who plays this time of year feels like their team is a little banged up,” Army coach Jeff Monken said Monday on the championship game video conference. “The game against Notre Dame was really tough and they are an outstanding team. UTSA had a lot of talented players in another physical game.

“We don’t have a lot of guys that have season-ending injuries, but (there are) a lot of things that just keep guys from hitting the ground running at practice and maybe even hitting 100% on Friday night.”

As Army battled Texas-San Antonio, Tulane was preparing for the title game.

“I’m going to need a few more days if they want to give it to us,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. “We can play on Sunday if they want and I may need a few more days to prepare for that. It’s impossible to replicate what they do with the speed and physicality. You do your best within the week and then it comes down to the basic football. You have to get out of the blocks and make tackles.”

Tulane leads by 5½ points, although Army moved up one spot to No. 24 in The Associated Press poll while the Wave dropped out of the rankings. The other three teams that play conference championship games on an opponent’s home field are underdogs.

“They (the wave) are physical, they’re fast, they’re athletic,” Monken said. “They’re just a really impressive team. We know how well prepared they will be on defense, and on offense they have a lot of weapons and are just a complete team.”

Army’s improvement to 10-1 from 6-6 a year ago is largely due to 6-foot-1, 221-pound senior quarterback Bryson Daily, who improved tremendously in his second season as a starter. He leads the AAC in rushing (1,348 yards), has surpassed 100 yards nine times in a row and has scored at least two touchdowns in eight consecutive games through Friday.

He even hurt Texas-San Antonio with his arm.

When the Roadrunners frequently put the Black Knights in second-and-long and third-and-long situations, he responded with a season-high 10 passes (of 17) for 190 yards, giving the Wave something else to think about. Army ranks last in the FBS in passing yards per game (89.2) but is first in yards per attempt (10.3).

“He (Daily) is a good quarterback, but we never felt like we could make a living by sitting back and throwing,” Monken said. “We’re a running team and that’s how we got to where we are, but I was glad we were able to make some plays (in the passing game) on Saturday.”

Sumrall was more effusive in his praise for Daily.

“This quarterback is a damn warrior,” he said. “He throws the ball very efficiently but plays with the linebacker mentality. He’s the guy you like to have on your team.”

Until last weekend, neither Tulane nor Army had trailed in the second half of a conference game. The Wave’s winning streak ended with a loss to Memphis. The Black Knights trailed Texas-San Antonio 17-16 before going on a fourth-and-1 run from the Roadrunners’ 16-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead touchdown.

It’s clear that both teams deserve to be at this point. Friday will show who can finish the job — Tulane in its third straight AAC title game or Army in its first year in the league.

The winner’s reward won’t be a spot in the College Football Playoff, but championships are still important.

“This opportunity is special,” Sumrall said. “If we’re not prepared to play a really good game in this environment with what’s at stake, then we’ve got a problem.”